Taking a cue from Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA), keeping in mind the dew factor, on Saturday decided to appeal to the Indian cricket board for an early start to the India-Pakistan ODI at the Feroz Shah Kotla on January

6.

"We will request the BCCI to allow us to start the match at 12:30pm instead of 2:30pm keeping in mind the dew factor. If we don't have a 12:30pm start, it won't be possible to have a match at that time of the year," DDCA vice-president Chetan Chauhan said.

The Punjab Cricket Association had requested the board for an early start to the India-England match on January 23.

BCCI's chief administrative officer (CAO) Ratnakar Shetty said, "Let Mr Chauhan first formally appeal to the BCCI as we haven't received any formal request. The India versus England ODI match at Mohali will also start early, so this is not a new thing. The rule states that if the two boards agree to a change in time and the match referee is okay with it, we can go ahead with that."

Meanwhile, questions were raised about the nature of the Kotla track prepared by former chief curator of BCCI, Venkat Sundaram, after the Delhi batsmen found it extremely difficult to bat as the ball kept low on many occasions.

Mithun Manhas, who scored a brilliant 162 said, "The ball wasn't coming onto the bat and it was not easy for strokemaking. You couldn't play shots square of the wicket. Considering the nature of the track, it was one of my best innings if not the best."

When Manhas was asked if a suitable track could be prepared for the Indo-Pak ODI which is about a month and half away, he said, "You have to factor in the conditions and the ball will swing a lot. I can cite an example where we chased down Mumbai's 330 plus score in a one-day game."

DDCA vice-president Chauhan, however, defended Sundaram.

"You have to understand that this is the first match of the season. The pitch will only get better as the season progresses. As far as Sundaram's performance as curator is concerned, he was not removed from the post for incompetence. The responsibility was taken away from him by BCCI for reasons best known to them. For us, he is a very sincere man," Chauhan said.

Taking a cue from Punjab Cricket Association (PCA), the Delhi & Districts Cricket Association (DDCA), keeping in mind the dew factor, decided to appeal to the Indian cricket board for an early start to the India-Pakistan ODI at the Feroz Shah Kotla on January 6.

"We will request the BCCI to allow us to start the match at 12:30pm instead of 2:30pm keeping in mind the dew factor. If we don't have a 12:30pm start, it won't be possible to have a match at that time of the year," DDCA vice-president Chetan Chauhan said.

The Punjab Cricket Association had requested the board for an early start to the India-England match on January 23.

BCCI's chief administrative officer (CAO) Ratnakar Shetty said, "Let Mr Chauhan first formally appeal to the BCCI as we haven't received any formal request. The India versus England ODI match at Mohali will also start early, so this is not a new thing. The rule states that if the two boards agree to a change in time and the match referee is okay with it, we can go ahead with that."

Meanwhile, questions were raised about the nature of the Kotla track prepared by former chief curator of BCCI, Venkat Sundaram, after the Delhi batsmen found it extremely difficult to bat as the ball kept low on many occasions.

Mithun Manhas, who scored a brilliant 162 said, "The ball wasn't coming onto the bat and it was not easy for strokemaking. You couldn't play shots square of the wicket. Considering the nature of the track, it was one of my best innings if not the best."

When Manhas was asked if a suitable track could be prepared for the Indo-Pak ODI which is about a month and half away, he said, "You have to factor in the conditions and the ball will swing a lot. I can cite an example where we chased down Mumbai's 330 plus score in a one-day game."

DDCA vice-president Chauhan, however, defended Sundaram.

"You have to understand that this is the first match of the season. The pitch will only get better as the season progresses. As far as Sundaram's performance as curator is concerned, he was not removed from the post for incompetence. The responsibility was taken away from him by BCCI for reasons best known to them. For us, he is a very sincere man," Chauhan said.